Olympics Make An Error
-Trey Miller
Softball World
Olympic Update
The IOC (International Olympic Committee) voted on which sport to include in the 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympic Games. The vote took place on Sunday, September 8, 2013 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The three sports on the short list for inclusion were Baseball/Softball, Squash, and Wrestling. Each sport was allowed a 20-minute presentation to the committee followed by a Q&A session from the members. The WBSC (World Baseball Softball Confederation) was represented by Ricardo Fraccari and Don Porter, Co-Presidents of the WBSC. Also speaking on the WBSC’s behalf were: *Maria Soto – Venezuela’s Greatest Softball Player *Justin Huber - Australian former MLB player *Antonio Castro - WBSC Vice President *Beng Choo Loo - Secretary General from Malaysia Antonio Castro states that one of the selling points for the WBSC was, “With 65 million players at different levels worldwide, baseball and softball have extremely wide appeal, and can be played by anyone almost anywhere, regardless of age, gender, social standing, disability, cultural or political position.” The WBSC’s presentation was based on the globalism of Baseball and Softball. The success and visibility of the World Baseball Classic and the World Cup of Softball and the worldwide television exposure would bring a built-in audience to the Olympic telecast. After all three sports finished their presentations, the IOC members voted on which sport would be included. Wrestling won the majority vote with 49 votes. Baseball/Softball had 24 votes and Squash received 22 votes. This was a devastating blow to the Baseball/Softball community that looked to get back into the Olympic Games. The worst part of the decision is that the IOC decided to kill the dreams of over 65 million kids worldwide who dreamed of representing their countries in the Olympics playing baseball and softball. There is a chance to get back in the 2028 Olympics, but that is a long time from now.